


Dance In and Out of the Beams

by wholehearted



Series: It Sounds Like Fluff to Me [14]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Crash Fest 2019, Dancing, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Forgiveness, Fresh Start, Love, M/M, Memories, Music, Roswellprompts, loving relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-10 03:24:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19490953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wholehearted/pseuds/wholehearted
Summary: Michael is determined that "this is going to work out", but will it?





	Dance In and Out of the Beams

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of the RNM Crash Fest Exchange 2019 on tumblr. This fic is for @roswellnm-malex-echo. I hope you like it! ❤️ I _promise_ this meets your prompt request of Michael/Alex (eventually). 😍
> 
> The title and fic are inspired by the lyrics of Brooks & Dunn's [Neon Moon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nopBvlKfYgY).
> 
> Betaed by the wonderful BeStillMySlashyHeart and @erisgregory! Thank you lovelies!! 💙

Michael’s sitting alone at a table, nursing a beer and listening to the same song on the jukebox. It’s nearly half an hour of it on repeat before Maria walks up.

“It’s been two weeks since we got together. You stay with me every night while I close and every night you play this one Brooks & Dunn song, over and over.” She raises her hand to halt the half-assed explanation hovering in his lips. “You either get piss drunk and pass out, or we have sex and you pass out. Whatever feelings I do or don’t have for you do not involve  _ this _ ,” gesturing to all of him. “I’m not interested in helping you mend your broken heart or whatever.” 

Maria’s words are firm, but the look on her face is disappointment...maybe hurt? Michael rushes to ease her concerns. 

“I’m sorry. Really. There’s just a lot of stuff I’m trying to figure out—“ 

“I get that, but you won’t even tell me what’s going on!” She points at his healed hand. 

“I can’t, but I’m working on it! I promise, I’ll do better.” He clutches his beer bottle and takes a swig, hoping the alcohol will somehow strengthen his resolve. 

“Guerin, I’m not—“

“No, Maria,  _ please _ . I mean it. I want this to work.” He reaches across the table and holds her hand. 

She sighs and nods her head. Standing, she drops a quick kiss on his forehead before getting back to cleaning. 

_ This is going to work.  _

**Two years later…**

Michael is sitting alone at a table, picking the label off his beer and watching as people chat with one another and dance around the room. He looks over at Maria, looking stunning in her wedding dress. She’s laughing and smiling, not a care in the world. 

Michael feels happy,  _ really happy  _ about how this day turned out. Even if he hadn't been allowed to wear cowboy boots with his formal attire. His love had insisted and so he’d easily acquiesced. 

He glances around at all the decor. It’s very pristine and bit too ornate for Michael’s liking, but Iz had orchestrated this whole thing to within an inch of her life. She’d been very clear in her ‘vision’ for the wedding, somehow becoming even bossier than usual. 

Michael looks away to focus on the cake he’s nibbling on when two warm hands briefly rest on his shoulders, before smoothing down his arms. A whispered breath against his ear. “Having fun?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, I’m glad. Me too.” The lilting sound of that voice causes warmth to bloom in his chest. 

Michael turns to see deep brown eyes blinking back at him, luscious lips turned up into an easy smile.  _ Beautiful.  _ He leans in to bring their mouths together for a soft kiss.

_ I still can’t believe it worked out.  _

“Guerin, behave yourself. We still have a couple more hours of this reception.” 

“You can’t call me that, we’re married.” 

“I can call you anything I want, husband.” 

“Okay then, darlin’.” Michael chuckles back. 

Michael reaches to run his hands through the silky brown locks, thick and soft. The two of them gaze at one another for long moments. Eventually, that exquisite face turns away, only to rest on his shoulder. 

They both watch Isobel’s face light up as she dances with her bride, the two of them swaying to the music. She and Maria truly look gorgeous tonight. 

Michael shakes his head in deference, as he remembers the road that led them here. 

His relationship with Maria had lasted exactly four days after she called him out at the Wild Pony. Though Michael had meant every word he’d said to her, she could tell his heart wasn’t fully in it. She had kicked him out of her bed, and austensibly out of her life. 

He’d immediately gone to Alex. 

To Michael’s shock, Alex had let him in, though it was late at night. Alex sat on the couch, face hard as granite, impassive, as he waited for Michael to speak. He’d been too overwhelmed to organize his thoughts, nevertheless capable of forming a coherent sentence, so instead, Michael sunk to his knees between Alex’s thighs. He’d leaned his head on Alex’s lap, arms banding around the other man’s stiff form, and began to sob. The tears falling hard and heavy, his body heaving. 

When Alex started to rub his shoulders, Michael had been relieved.

Eventually Michael found the words he needed to say and repeated them over and over. He said, “I’m sorry,” until his voice was hoarse, barely able to get out a whisper. Alex was quiet the entire time, never responded, but carded his fingers through Michael’s hair and rubbed circles on his back. Alex soothed him until the sun came up. 

At some point they shifted into a spooning position on the couch, Alex holding him tight. He finally spoke then, murmuring, “I’m here,” as they drifted off to sleep. 

When they woke up it should’ve been awkward, but it wasn’t. Michael got up first, making them coffee. When he handed a warm mug to Alex and sat on the far side of the couch, those perceptive eyes silently watched him.

_ Now or never, Guerin.  _

“Maria and I broke up.” Michael’s eyes skitted away, as he tried to clarify his intent. ”She broke up with me because she said I wasn’t over you.” He chanced a look at Alex. His lips were pursed, and Michael couldn’t read his expression. There was no overt reaction to Michael’s confession, so he pressed on. 

“I don’t know what we are, you and me, or the likelihood of us working things out…” He let loose a big sigh. “But I know I don’t want to walk through this life without you. You’re more than my family Alex, you’re in my veins, in every heartbeat, and there’s no use pretending anything else will work.” 

Alex just stared at him, slowly blinking.

“I-I don’t know how to do this right, with you, but I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your trust. For the opportunity to try and figure this out.”

Michael knew his face betrayed all his emotions. He was hopeless when it came to hiding his feelings from Alex. And at that point, there’d been no need to. He laid himself bare, and waited as those caramel eyes held his gaze. Never looking away. 

After an eternity, Alex exhaled a slow breath, and nodded. 

And that’s how they got a fresh start. From then on they were open about everything, taking their time to get reacquainted. 

They spent nearly every day together, talking and crying. Saying the painful things, the important things. They discussed their hurt feelings and their anger. They yelled and held one another close when they apologized. They communicated and made amends. They supported one another as they coped with a myriad of emotional wounds and psychological symptoms (panic attacks, vivid memories, intrusive thoughts, nightmares). Both of them committed to their individual therapy and trauma healing. 

With each interaction and exchange, Michael felt more and more hopeful. 

Though their relationship was platonic _ —just friends _ —neither one of them dated anyone else or even considered it as an option. And despite the mutually agreed upon terms to ‘take things slow’, they’d ended up kissing and dry humping on several occasions. It was like they were teens, though they’d never experienced this type of courting with one another before.

After four months of reconnecting, and mostly behaving, Alex whispered he was  _ ready  _ on a cool evening in Spring. They were sitting on the back of Michael’s truck, watching the far away stars glitter and glow, when Alex finally murmured the words. Michael had asked Alex if he was ‘sure’, and the man before him nodded, leaning in to seal the deal with a kiss. 

That night Michael stayed over at the cabin, the two of them snuggled close, just holding and caressing each other. The long overdue sex happened the next morning, and it hadn’t taken much longer for Michael to move his stuff into their home.

Seven months after that they got married in the desert. It had been just the two of them, and Kyle acting as the officiant. He’d grumbled about getting ordained online, but he’d done it and might’ve even had a tear in his eye when the short ceremony was all said and done.

They honeymooned in Belize. Michael had watched a show where two surfers in love ran away there together. Their first trip as a married couple had been a dream. When they came home and told everyone, there was quite a bit of grumbling and hurt feelings. Both Michael and Alex had to assure their close knit group that the elopement was the best fit for their relationship. No fanfare, just them. Kyle actually ended up taking most of the flack since he’d been the only other person there and didn’t tell anyone. 

Eventually everyone forgave them, and Michael and Alex had an after-the-fact reception, so family and friends could celebrate their nuptials. 

Somewhere along the way Maria and Isobel had become really close, best friends and then lovers. And now the two were married and starting a life together. 

As Michael sits next to his husband watching the newlyweds, he feels grateful for the broken road that lead them all here. 

The DJ starts to play a new song, and Maria immediately searches for Michael in the sea of guests. When their eyes lock, she pins him with a playful death stare. Isobel leans over and Maria seems to mouth an explanation to her. Isobel glares at him too, before giving an air kiss. He winks back at them and grins. 

Iz grabs her wife and spins her around. How the two of them manage a flawless Texas two-step in those fancy gowns he’ll never know.

Alex gives a grumbly laugh. Obviously remembering full well what this song means and the story behind it. 

  
They smile and watch the brides finish dancing to the melody of  _ Neon Moon _ . 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read. 😊
> 
> Come find me on tumblr (same username or malex-allthehearteyes).


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